Going the Distance: The Athens Half Marathon Challenge

January marks the beginning of hibernation. Not only for our furry friends, but also for most OU students, eagerly waiting for just a hint of sunshine. We take cover in our dorms, houses, and apartments only stepping outside to shuffle like zombies from class to class, grab coffee or go to work. Our schedules are reduced to eat, sleep and study while we count down the days until spring quarter. For some, however, this winter has been characterized by much the opposite of taking refuge under warm bed sheets. It is better associated with tenacity, determination, and nine-mile practice runs.

For junior Brittney Snyder, who has spent this winter training to compete in the 21^st Annual Athens Half-Marathon, a 13.1 mile race that will take place on April 3, 2011, it’s all about “no pain, no gain”. Brittney has been preparing for the marathon since the beginning of February, she said. She explained that though this will be her first half-marathon, she has always been a runner, partaking in track and cross country for several years as well as competing in both a triathlon and decathlon.

“I have always loved training and competing in endurance events such as this because running has always been a way for me to release stress,” Brittney said.  “ So, when my roommate told me she had signed up [for the half-marathon], I figured I would follow through with it, too.”

Though Brittney signed up for the race on a whim, she said that her training has been frequent and intense, based on building strength and stamina for the day of the race.  A typical week of training, Snyder explained, consists of running three to four miles on Monday and Friday, lifting weights on Tuesday, swimming or biking on Wednesday, running long distance on Saturday and running two miles and stretching on Sunday.

 “Of course my schedule changes week to week because of class, studying and work, but I try to get in all of my mileage for the week,” she said.  “If I miss a day [of training], I try to make up for it the following day in intensity, or by working out an extra day.

If I am not feeling 100%, I take it easy. I will do something else like resistance training and abs,” she said. “It’s important to listen to your body and not push it because something like this requires you to be healthy.”
Like Brittney, freshman Paul Waked said that he, too, struggles to balance his schedule with training five to six times a week. He explained that he has been preparing for the half-marathon since the end of December, running three to five miles most days of the week with increasingly longer distance runs on the weekend.
“It’s definitely challenging to find time to run every day, but it’s important to have a plan for how far you are going to run, how often, and when,” Paul explained. “Knowing ahead of time what I am doing for the day has helped me out greatly.”

However, Brittney explained that designating a schedule is only half the battle.

“It’s all about self-motivation,” she said. “If you skip [training], only you suffer from it, and only you know about it.”

Still, as the race draws near, both Brittney and Paul agree that they are prepared to take on the challenge.

 “Now, I feel like I can achieve pretty much anything that I set my mind to,” Paul said. “I feel much stronger and am in significantly better shape.”
           
Brittney, too, agreed that the strenuous training that has consumed much of her winter quarter has paid off generously.
           
“It [will be] so rewarding to cross the finish line and accomplish my goal,” she said. “In all the races and events I have competed in, that feeling never fails to amaze me.”    
           
Brittney’s only goal is to finish and then to start “tweaking” her training plan in order to improve for the next half marathon.
           
“That’s the cool thing about running,” she said. “You can always improve and try to beat yourself next time.”